When people talk about Tim Cook’s Apple era, the usual highlights come up fast: Apple Silicon, the iPhone’s continued dominance, and the ambitious but divisive Vision Pro. But there’s a strong case that Apple’s most overlooked success under Cook is way simpler, and way more common in daily life: AirPods.
That’s the argument coming out of The Verge, and honestly, it makes sense.
Back in the pre-AirPods era, earbuds were still mostly tied to your phone or iPod by a cable. That look was so iconic that Apple’s old ads practically turned white earbud wires into part of the brand itself. Then 2016 happened, and Apple suddenly pushed a very different future, one with a tiny case, no cords, and a much cleaner setup.
That same year, Apple removed the headphone jack from the iPhone 7 and iPhone 7 Plus, a decision that got plenty of backlash at the time. Apple still included a Lightning-to-3.5mm adapter, so wired headphones didn’t disappear overnight, but the message was obvious: wireless audio was where things were going next.
AirPods were announced right after that move, and even if they were not the first true wireless earbuds on the market, they were the ones that made the category feel mainstream. Products like the Bragi Dash, Onkyo W800BT, and Earin earbuds had already shown up in 2015, but none of them landed with the same scale. Apple reportedly sold around 14 to 16 million AirPods in 2017 alone, and the numbers kept climbing after that.
That’s the part that matters. Apple did not invent true wireless earbuds, but it turned them into a normal everyday thing.
Why AirPods actually hit so hard
A big reason was convenience. The original AirPods were not perfect. Not everyone loved the one-size-fits-all fit, and sound quality was not exactly class-leading. But Apple nailed the experience.
Thanks to the W1 chip, pairing felt stupidly easy compared to the usual Bluetooth headache. Open the case near an iPhone, connect, and the earbuds could also work smoothly across other Apple devices. That kind of integration made AirPods feel less like accessories and more like part of the Apple ecosystem.
For a lot of people, that was the real game changer, not just the lack of wires.
And over time, the product line got much better. The Verge points to the AirPods Pro 2 as a major leap for noise cancellation. Since then, Apple has added stronger call quality through extra microphones and smarter processing, plus features like heart rate tracking, live translation, adaptive audio, and even over-the-counter hearing aid support on AirPods Pro 2 and Pro 3.
That is a pretty wild evolution for something that started as "the white earbuds without wires."
Why this matters in Malaysia and SEA
This shift hits extra hard in Malaysia and the wider SEA market because wireless earbuds have become part of daily survival kit territory. LRT and MRT commutes, calls in mamak spots, mobile gaming on the go, working from cafes, watching shows in shared spaces, semua kena. Convenience matters here.
AirPods also helped set the standard that basically every other brand now follows, from premium rivals down to budget earbuds flooding Shopee and Lazada. Even if you never buy AirPods, there’s a good chance the earbuds you use today exist in an AirPods-shaped market.
That’s why this legacy matters. Apple didn’t just launch another successful gadget. It helped change how people listen to music, take calls, join meetings, and watch content every day.
The next chapter under John Ternus
Another interesting detail here is that John Ternus, Apple’s incoming CEO, oversaw development of the first AirPods and still leads the category. With Ternus taking over in September, almost 10 years after AirPods were first announced, Apple’s audio push is unlikely to slow down.
So yeah, AirPods may not get the same prestige as the Mac’s chip revolution or the iPhone’s market power. But in terms of real-world impact, they might be one of the clearest examples of Cook-era Apple changing how normal people use tech.
Not bad for a product people initially mocked for looking weird.
Source: The Verge